Sealing-off torch



June 7, 1927. 1,631,379-

L. A. MAURER SEALING OFF TORCH Filed June 4, 1923 Fig.2.

, Inventor Loui s A. Manx-er,

His Attornev.

hunted June 1,1927.

UNITED STATES 1,631,379 PATENT oar-lea.

Louis a. nausea, or mvme'ron, new masnmassreuoa mo ennnmnmc'raxc comm, acoaroaarrox or NEW Yonx.

ammo-or! 'i'oncn.

Application filed June}, 1928. Serial I0. 648,188.

y invention relates to sealing off the bulbs of incandescent lamps ansimilar evacuated devices b heating the exhaust tube to fusion near t ebulb, thereby hermet- 6 ically sealing the bulb and at the same timedetaching it from the tube, and more particularly to automatic devicesfor performing this ration of sealing ofi.

One object of my invention is to provide an automatic sealin off devicewhich'will automatically seal 0 a bulb, and also automatically dischargeor eject the sealed oil bulb. Another object is to provide a simple andrugged sealing ofi' device which may be operated directly by the movableexhaust head or bythe exhaust spider. A further object is in general tosimplify and improve automatic devices of this character.

' In carrying out my invention I provide an-automatic sealing ofi devicewhich, by the movement of the exhaust machine, is set and operated toseal oil the bulb, and is subsequently operated to eject or dischargethe sealed ofi bulb. In one form of my invention a bulb fork or holder,is moved bodily to raise the bulb and seal it off, and is afterwardstilted to eject the bulb from the fork. Both the sealing oil and tiltingmovement of the fork are preferably, thoughnot necessarily, roduced by9. lug or projection mounted on threxhaust spider, an fork is so mountedthat in response to movement of the spider the fork is first movedbodily into sition to receive the bulb, then released to 'ft the bulb,and then tilted to discharge the bulb. The sealed ofi bulb may bedischarged in other ways than by tilting the fork, and owing to its simlicity, my invention may be used to a vantage even though the sealed offbulb is not discharged automatically.

My invention will best be understood in connection with the accompanyingdrawing in which Fig. 1 is a side view-of one form of my sealing 'ofl'device with the parts in position to receive the bulb; Fig. 2 is a viewat right an les to the plane of Fig. 1 showing the bub engaging parts ofthe device in the same position just prior to engaging the bulb; Fig. 3is a similar view of the same,

parts just after the bulb is sealed off Fig. 4 isa similar view of thesamearts with the bulb fork tilted and after the ulb has beendischarged; Fig.5 is a section along the line the bulb 55 of Fig. 4; andFig. 6- is an end view of the parts in the position of Fig. 4 whenplupgmatically discharging the sealed oif The exhaust machine may be ofthe usual type, shown in the United States patents, to Massey 996,936and to Burrows 1,013,124, and comprises a rotatable exhaust spider 1provided with exhaustheads '2 of the usual type, each of which isbrought in succession into-sealing oif position llzly a step by stepmovement of the spider. ach head receives .the exhaust tube 3 of a lamp4 which is to be exhausted. As the spider 1 rotatesjeach lamp isautomatically connected in succession to the various exhausted lamp issealed ofi while it is stationary in the position shown in Fi '1.

The sealing of! device is carrie on a pedestal 5, and comprises. amovable bulb fork 6 for lifting the bulb away from the exhaust tubedurin the sealing off operation. This bulb for is mounted so as to bemovable toward theexhaust head into osi-' tion to receive'the bulb, asshown in ig. 1. It is preferably mounted on the end of a rod 7 havingnear the other end a weight 8 which tends to move the fork away from ithe exhaust head 2 and thereby seal off the bulb. The rod 7isjournalledin a yoke 9 which is pivoted to oscillate on a pin 9 aboutan axis perpendicular to the rod 7. The fork'is moved bodily toward andaway from the exhaust head 2 as the'yoke 9 oscil lates. To move the forkautomatically I 9 provide means responsive to the movement of theexhaust head and comprising a suitable connection, such as an arm 10 onthe yoke'in position to be en ged by an actuating member such as a ug 11set on the exhaustspider to move the yoke and swing the fork down intoposition of Fig. 1 as an exhaust head approaches the sealing ofiposition and to release the oke sothat the weight 8 will raise the forbodily into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 as the exhausthead reaches the sealing 'ofl position. The sealing of! burners 12 aresupplied with gas through flexible pipes 13 and are mounted to move withthe fork and to direct the flamebetween the fork and the exhaust headand upon the exhaust tube 3 at a point adjacent the bulb. As the exhaustpumps through a flat l0 .valve on which the spider 1 is carried. The

tube melts the weight 8 lifts the fork and bulb into the position shownin Fig. 3, thereby scalin off the bulb.

To disc arge the sealedofl bulb I tilt the fork by rotating the rod 7 bysome automatic fork tilting means actuated by the driving mechanism ofthe exhaust machine. A simple and convenient way is to actuate thetilting mechanism from the exhaust spider.

For example, I may mount a crank 14 on the rod 7, and connect it througha link 15 to the actuating means for tilting the bulb fork. I prefer toactuate the tilting mechanism from the exhaust spider, which mayconveniently be done by means of a bell crank 16 mounted on the pedestal5 with one end connectedto the link 15 and its other end in the path ofthe lugs 11 on the exhaust spider. There is'alug 11 for each exhausthead, and as an exhaust head approachesthesealing-off position that lug11 which corresponds to the preceding exhaust head catches the end ofthe arm..10, swings it in a clockwise direction, and the passes out fromunder it,'thereby moving t e yoke to swing the fork 6 down into theposition of Fig. 1, .and then releasing the yoketo permit the fork tomove upward and seal off the bulb. During the movement to its.

next position of the exhaust head from which the bulb now in the fork 6has just been sealed off, the lug 11 corresponding tothat head'strikesand ,moves the. bell crank 16 and connected parts into the positionshown in-Fig's 4 and 6,; thereby tilting the fork and discharging thebulb into the chute 19. Further movement of the spider carries the lug11 out from under the end of the bell crank 16, releasing the tilting..mechanism, whereupon the bulb fork is returned to its horizontalposition by the weight of the link 15 and bell crank 1-6- assisted ifnecessary by some means such as a spring-17, although usually the springis not necessary.

It remains in this position until the same 11, which a 'momentbeforeactuated the crank 16, strikes thearm 10 and swings the fork 6down to engage the. bulb in the followin exhaust head, and so on, eachlug first tilting the fork 6 to discharge the sealed of bulb which hasbeen carried in the head to which the lug corresponds, and then swingingthe fork" Gdown to bring it under the bulb in the following exhausthead.

head for first moving said fork out of normal position toward said headwith its open end toward and in the path of an exhaust tube in said headand then as said head reaches sealing off position releasing said forkand leaving it free to return to normal position.

2. The combination of an exhaust head intermittently movable intosealing off posi tion, a bulb fork inregistry with the sealing offposition of said head and mounted to rock perpendicularly to thedirection of movement of said head with its open end toward the to movein a vertical plane in registry with said head when it is in sealing offposition and with its open end facing said head as it a proachessealing-ofl' position and yielding y held in normal position, and anactuating member movable with said head to engage said fork and move itaway from normal position .and toward said head as said head approachesthe sealing in .position and to automatically release said fork as saidhead reaches sealing off osition.

4. The combination ,with a horizontally movable exhaust spider having apluralit of exhaust heads, a bulb fork mounted ajacent said spider tomove vertically in registry with each head with its open end toward..theoncoming head as each head comes in succession into sealing off positionand weighted. to remain in normal position, and actuating members onsaid s ider corresponding in number to said head; and posi tioned toengage and move said fork out of normal position and toward each headasit approaches sealing off position and to automatically release saidfork as each head reaches sealin off position. I

5. The combination of a movable exhaust head, a bulb fork mountedadjacent the path of said head to rock about two axes perpen dicular toeach other and resiliently held in normal position against movementabout either axis, and actuating means for rocking said fork about oneaxis out of normal position toward said exhaust head and then releasmg1t to permit return to normal osition and subsequently rocking said forka ut the other axis after the fork has rocked back about the first axisinto normal ',position.'

6. The combination of' an exhaust; head movable intermittently into andout of sealing ofl position, a bulb fork mounted adjacent the path oftravel of said head to rock about two perpendicular axes and resilbermovable in synchronism with said head to engage and release said rockingmember and sald tilting member in succession.

'7. The combmation of an exhausthead movable horizontally, a bulb forkmounted adjacent the path of travel of said head to swing verticallyinregistry with said head in sealing off position and weighted to remainin normal position remote, from said head andalso mounted to tilt fromits normal positionwith the plane of the fork horizontalinto itsdischarge position with said I plane inclined to the horizontal, andactuat mg means responsive to the movement of said head to swing saidfork vertically downwardtoward the exhaust head, release position. I

8. A sealing ofl:" device "comprising a yoke mounted to oscillate abouta hori it, and subsequently tilt it into discharge zontal axis andyieldingly held in' normal position, a bulb fork mounted in said yoke torock about an axis perpendicular to the axis of said; yoke, means foroscillating said yoke, and fork tilting means for rocking said fork onits axis.

i 9. The combination of an exhaust head movable horizontally, a bulbfork mounted adjacentthe path of travel of said head to move toward saidhead with the prongs of the fork horizontal and to tilt about an axisparallel to said prongs into its discharge position, and actuat ng meansoperating in 'synchronism' with said head to move said fork toward theexhaust head and subsequently tilt it into discharge'position. v j

10. A sealing off device comprising a movable yoke, a bulb forkmountedin said yoke to tilt about an axis in the plane of the fork, means formovin said yoke, and fork tilting means for tllting said fork about itsaxis. i

In witness whereof,'I have hereunto set my hand this 1st dayof June,1923.

- LOUIS A, MAURER.

